Accessibility Statement

Last updated: February 2026

Our Commitment

Proud Partners is committed to making our website and membership platform accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of ability or technology. We are working to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA.

We believe transparency is more valuable than a perfect score on paper. Rather than claiming flawless compliance, we want to be honest about what we have built, what works well, and where we know there is room to improve. Accessibility is not a one-time checklist for us — it is an ongoing practice that we take seriously.

What Works Well

We have designed and built our website and membership platform with the following accessibility features:

• Semantic HTML — We use proper structural elements throughout our pages, including <header>, <nav>, <main>, <article>, and <footer>, giving assistive technologies a clear understanding of page structure and content relationships.
• Page Language — All pages declare the document language as English with the lang="en" attribute, ensuring screen readers use the correct pronunciation rules.
• Image Alt Text — Meaningful images include descriptive alternative text. Decorative images are marked with aria-hidden="true" so they are ignored by assistive technologies and do not create noise for screen reader users.
• Form Labels — All form inputs are properly labeled using associated <label> elements. Labels are visible and programmatically linked to their corresponding input fields, so screen readers announce what each field is for.
• ARIA Attributes — We use aria-live regions to announce form validation errors in real time, proper landmark roles to define page regions, and aria-current to indicate the active page in navigation.
• Heading Hierarchy — Pages follow a logical heading structure from H1 through H4. Headings are never skipped or used out of order, making it easy for screen reader users to navigate by heading level and understand content organization.
• Skip Navigation — A "Skip to main content" link is provided at the top of every page, allowing keyboard and screen reader users to bypass the navigation and jump directly to the primary content area.
• Focus Indicators — All interactive elements display a visible 3px focus ring when navigated to via keyboard. The focus indicator uses our brand color for consistency and meets contrast requirements against both light and dark backgrounds.
• Reduced Motion — All animations and transitions on our pages respect the prefers-reduced-motion media query. If you have indicated a preference for reduced motion in your operating system settings, animations will be minimized or removed entirely.
• Color Contrast — Text and interactive elements meet WCAG 2.2 AA contrast requirements. Normal text maintains a minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio, and large text maintains a minimum 3:1 ratio against its background.
• Touch Targets — Interactive elements such as buttons, links, and form controls have a minimum target size of 44 by 44 pixels, making them easier to activate on touchscreen devices and for users with motor impairments.
• Responsive Design — Our pages are fully usable and readable from 320px viewport width up to ultrawide displays. Content reflows without horizontal scrolling, and no information or functionality is lost at any viewport size.
• Keyboard Navigation — All interactive elements, including links, buttons, form fields, and navigation items, are reachable and operable using only a keyboard. Tab order follows a logical sequence that matches the visual layout.
• Error Identification — Form validation errors are clearly described in text, visually highlighted, and announced to screen readers through aria-live regions. Error messages identify what went wrong and, where possible, suggest how to fix the issue.

Known Limitations

We want to be upfront about the areas where accessibility may be limited:

• This is a WordPress plugin that serves standalone pages. While we have built accessibility into our templates, the broader WordPress site may have separate accessibility considerations depending on the active theme, other installed plugins, and user-generated content. We can only control the accessibility of the pages and interfaces built by our plugin.
• Embedded third-party content, such as social media widgets, externally hosted forms, or video embeds, may not meet our accessibility standards. We work to choose accessible third-party services where possible, but we cannot guarantee full compliance of content we do not control.
• Older versions of assistive technologies or browsers may not fully support all of the ARIA attributes and modern CSS features we use. We recommend using current versions of browsers and screen readers for the best experience.

Compatibility

Our website and membership platform are built with HTML5, WAI-ARIA, CSS, and JavaScript. We follow progressive enhancement principles, ensuring that core content and functionality are available even when CSS or JavaScript is limited.

We have designed our pages to work with the following assistive technologies:

• VoiceOver on iOS and macOS (Safari)
• TalkBack on Android (Chrome)
• NVDA on Windows (Firefox, Chrome)

We test with modern versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. While our pages should work in other browsers, we optimize for these three as they represent the vast majority of our visitors.

Technical Stack

Feedback & Assessment

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of our website and membership platform. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, have difficulty using any part of our site, or have suggestions for improvement, please let us know. Your input helps us identify issues we may have missed and prioritize improvements.

You can reach us through any of the following channels:

• Email: proudpartners@centerlb.org
• In person at our venue: 2017 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814

When reporting an accessibility issue, it is helpful (but not required) to include:

• The page URL where you experienced the issue
• A description of what happened and what you expected to happen
• The device, browser, and assistive technology you were using

We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within five (5) business days. For issues that require a technical fix, we will provide an estimated timeline for resolution.

Assessment Methodology

This accessibility statement is a self-assessment based on our own internal review of the website and membership platform. It has not been independently audited by a third party. We have evaluated our pages against the WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria using a combination of automated testing tools, manual keyboard navigation testing, and screen reader testing.

We plan to conduct periodic reviews to ensure continued conformance as our platform evolves and new features are added.